The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1887-07-22

uestoo - WV mosA
One-eyed Zeke. who hunts for lv.
+, ing around Owen lake and along Owen
river over IN Inyo. came m the other
day 70 bedoctored for spraincd ankle.
Spraining that ankle saved bis life on
this last trip Zeke has = scheme Of
his own for killing grizzlies that Is
very effective II man has nerve
enough 20 work Il and his gun doesn't
misc ire lie carries heavy double
barirled shotgun and : 44-caliber re-
volver. but never Tugs = rifle even
when he goes after bears. When no
sights = grizzly he pops at him with the
revolver and gets him mad, standing
In the open where tho bear can SEQ
him. and shooting often enough 70 dis.
pei any possible doubts in the bears
NOODLE about the annoyance.
A grizzly will 60 his own way usual.
| " II not interfercd with. but II insulted
with pistol-shots he is pretty certain to
make = disturbance Of the peace. The
exasperated bear snaps viciously At the
place where the pistol-ban strikes him.
concludes that Zcke is responsible fol
the trouble and goes tor him. Zeke
waits calmly with double load of heavy
shot in each barrel and the hammers
1t full cock. Caleb comes right up tc
him. and when almost within huggine
distance rises on his hind legs to throw
himself upon Zeke. Then Zeke turns
loose both barrels at the bears chest,
and blows hole as big rs two fists
nearly through him. The heavy charge
at sach close range smashes the griz
zly's interior works in dcplorabls
manner. and he dies right away. II
| Is far more effective than an express
rifie-buIlct But it requires nerve tc
face big. ugly bear and reserve fire
until he Is within half q dozen feet Of
the gun.
Zcke met bear in the mountains
near Owen lake and played his Gus
tomary game. but not with complete
success BY some extraordinary bad
luck. both cartridges in his gun had
defective primers, and when he pulled
the triggers he was very much puzzled
and disappointed BY tn :;',.cace Of the
usual loud report. II rs a critical
moment for Zeke. 1t took him the
thousandth part Of second to grasp
the situation and spring desperately to
the right. Another small traction Of
second was consumed in his unexpcrs-
cd descent to the bottom Of an I'D
prospect hole that was oyergrown with
brush and escaped his notice
Probably that is the only prospect
hole in that part Of the Sierra Nevaa.
and il must have been dug BY sane
half cracked Forty-niner like Marshall.
who prospcctcd all the way from Yuma
10 the Columbia. Zeke VOWS il was
dug BY Providence.
The sudden and understandable dis
appearance Of the old man with gun
surprised the bear. and he had thrown
himself forward and plum gci into the
chapparal several yards before he be-
gan 10 catch on to the fact that Z-ke
was not before him. A. SION rs Zckc
struck bottom he looked up to see il
the bear was coming eywn. toe. and
then he removed the bad cartridges
and quickly inserted two more in his
gun. He knew the bear would smell
him out very soon.
In half minute Caleb's wicked
snout appeared at the top Of the hole
II disappeared. and was at once re-
placed BY the bears hind legs. Caleb
was coming down stern foremost after
the noxions person who had fired bull
lets ii him. As the bear scrambled
down Zeke aimed just under his shout
der and sent two handfuls Of buckshoi
careering through his vitals in a dag.
onal line. The wound was almost in
stantly fatal. and the bear came down
in heap at the bottom Of the hole,
which was about ten or twelve feet
deep.
The excitement being over. Zcke
realized that he had been njured in the
| fall. and that standing up was painful.
| He sat down on the bear to rest and
reflect. and to induce reflection he took
out his pipe and lighted il The flare
Of the match lighted up the prospect
hole. and Zekc was interested in seeing
a good-sizcd ratticsnake lying dead IN
der his feet, It's head crushed BY biz
boot-hcel. He had landed on the snake
when he fell into the hole, and the
slipping Of his foot had sprained his
1 ankle.
Zeke had hard time climbing on.
Of the prospect hole and getting back
to camp. but he got there. and sent
some men up to hoist the bear to the
surface The grizzly's weight was es-
timated % be nine hundred pounds
Zcke says he doesn't care about the
sprain. because II his foot had MT
landed just in that spot he would have
had more company than he would have
cared to entertain at the bottom Of
prospect hole. -Calicnts (CaL) Cor. N
/, u. Sun.